Party divides: expertise in and attitude towards climate change among Australian Members of Parliament

This study investigates Australian federal politicians’ expertise in and attitudes towards
climate change. Telephone interviews were conducted with a sample of 26 Members of
Parliament (MPs). Results of the survey, undertaken in late 2009, suggest that climate
change expertise is low to moderate among MPs, and that there is no correlation
between expertise in and concern about climate change. The survey reveals important
differences in attitudes to climate change by party. About 40 per cent of Coalition
(Liberal and National) MPs are climate change ‘deniers’, but no Labor Party (ALP)
MPs are. ALP MPs rate climate change as the most important (with water management)
out of four long-term challenges, but Coalition MPs rate it as the least important (after
not only water, but also aging and defence). All ALP MPs think climate change
demands urgent action, and that Australia should play a leadership role globally, but
only about one-fifth of Coalition MPs does. Even those Coalition MPs who are climate
change ‘believers’ tend to give lower importance to climate change than ALP MPs.